Containers, such as chemical drums, sometimes undergo lateral movement (e.g., sliding, shifting or "walking") during handling and transport. Such lateral movement of containers or drums may result in damage to and/or leakage from such containers or drums. Such leakage from the containers or drums is particularly problematic when the containers or drums contain chemical substances which are hazardous, toxic, expensive or explosive. Also, shifting or movement of containers or drums may result in toppling or falling of the containers or drums from an underlying pallet or support platform.
Thus, it is desirable to devise methods and/or devices for preventing lateral movement, sliding, shifting or walking of containers, such as chemical drums, during transportation and handling.
Various prior devices have been described for securing or holding containers, such as chemical drums, during transportation and handling. Examples of such prior devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,730,732 (Wagonseller), 4,061,391 (Vilolette), 3,388,792 (Jones), 3,004,746 (Swingle), 4,529,345 (Van Gompel) and 3,217,892 (Godell).
In addition to the devices described in the above-listed prior United States patents, it has been common practice in the art to utilize straps, bands, and/or plastic wrapping materials to secure and hold groups of drums shipped on pallets. For example, it is common practice to ship a quartet of four (4) chemical drums in two-by-two side by side rectangular configuration on a generally rectangular shipping pallet. With said quartet of drums so positioned on the shipping pallet, it is common practice to wrap a plastic or metal band around the outside of the drums and/or to apply plastic shrink wrap material to the drums in an effort to hold the drums in position on the pallet and to prevent the drums from shifting, moving or dropping from the pallet during transport while such banding or plastic shrink wrapping around the drums may, in some instances, serve to hold the drums on the pallet, it typically does not prevent the drums from shifting or walking relative to one another over the surface of the pallet.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for improved systems and devices for securely holding groups of containers, such as chemical drums, in substantially fixed position on a horizontal underlying surface, such as a shipping pallet.